Chapter 131

Chapter 131
## What an Interesting Thing (2)

“Listen, old man. That’s enough for now.”

Cheol Woo, sensing a strange disturbance, stepped outside and shattered the heavy atmosphere pressing down on Black Wolf.

Once the crushing weight of Dang Cheon Hwa’s aura dissipated, Black Wolf bared his teeth instantly, ready to strike.

“Hah! He’s got spirit.”

Dang Cheon Hwa let out a robust laugh.

Most predatory animals, once subjected to such overwhelming pressure, would never dare to show aggression again. Even the great tigers known as the lords of the peaks were no exception to that rule. He hadn’t expected a simple wolf to maintain its defiance.

“This is no ordinary beast.”

A look of genuine satisfaction crossed Dang Cheon Hwa’s features. He had always harbored a fondness for fierce creatures, whether they walked on four legs or two.

“And who are you supposed to be, elder? Those clothes don’t look like the standard attire of the Hahu Clan.”

Cheol Woo asked the question while calmly running his hand over Black Wolf’s neck fur.

Regardless of how the encounter began, the old man was currently smiling at Black Wolf, but Cheol Woo knew he had to tread carefully in case this stranger was an honored guest of the Hahu Clan.

Dang Cheon Hwa, reminiscing about the past, had ventured alone to the hall where Hahu Gok had spent his living days. The current scene before him was proving to be quite entertaining.

“I was a long-time companion of the man who used to own this hall.”

When Dang Cheon Hwa gestured toward the residence of Hahu Gok, Cheol Woo’s expression flickered with realization.

To claim a personal friendship with Hahu Gok implied the old man was of advanced age and likely possessed a significant reputation within the martial world. While his prowess wasn’t necessarily something to fear, it was lucky they hadn’t started a fight with someone visiting to pay their respects to the Hahu Clan.

‘Phew, that was a close one.’

The thought of accidentally getting into a scrap with a funeral guest made him feel a bit uneasy.

“And who might the rest of you be?”

Since Cheol Woo was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn’t answer immediately, Sima Geon stepped out from the interior and addressed the man with courtesy.

“I am Sima Geon. This is my companion, Cheol Woo.”

Noticing Sima Geon’s pointed look, Noe Jeon quickly offered a respectful bow.

“I go by Noe Jeon.”

“Ah, so you are the famous youngsters I’ve been hearing so much about.”

Cheol Woo’s eyebrows twitched at Dang Cheon Hwa’s condescending tone, which made them sound like mere children. Noe Jeon, sensing the rising tension, quietly grabbed Black Wolf by the scruff and retreated a few steps. Sima Geon, however, remained completely unruffled.

“Are you perhaps the Poison Specter, sir?”

Dang Cheon Hwa blinked, clearly startled by Sima Geon’s sudden inquiry.

“You have heard of this old man?”

“The Sword Freak spoke of you on several occasions, so I was able to identify you almost instantly.”

“Is that so? What exactly did that old rascal say that made me so easy to recognize?”

His casual question was tinged with a bit of curious expectation.

“He described you as someone as meticulously organized as a man with a cleaning obsession. He said you were as stubborn as a mule and possessed a pride that was unmatched under the heavens. He mentioned that first impressions often make people despise your arrogant demeanor—as if no one is worth your time—but that your actual bite is softer than your bark. He claimed you never truly look down on others. Most importantly, he said your loyalty is just as unshakable as your stubbornness; the finest in the world.”

Dang Cheon Hwa exploded into a fit of booming laughter at the blunt combination of insults and praise.

“Truly, no one understands this old man as well as the Sword Freak. It is a pleasure to meet you. I never imagined I would cross paths with the subjects of those rumors in a place like this. I was told you stayed with him until the very end, yet you are still lingering here?”

“No, we had returned home and only came back here to settle some personal matters.”

In that very moment.

Ha Hu Yeon arrived on the scene, her face completely pale from exhaustion and worry.

After hearing from Ha Hu Mong that Sima Geon’s party had returned, she had sprinted there without a second thought.

The hall where her great-grandfather had lived was situated directly adjacent to where Sima Geon’s group was staying. If it was just a coincidence, it wouldn’t matter—but her intuition told her something was wrong.

She could perfectly envision the stubborn Poison Specter, notorious for being the most difficult man in the Central Plains, getting into a confrontation with Cheol Woo’s aggressive personality.

She had run with all her might, praying she wouldn’t be too late. But as she arrived, she saw Sima Geon standing face-to-face with Dang Cheon Hwa.

It was the exact disaster she had feared!

She had to intervene.

“Stop!”

Ha Hu Yeon dove between Dang Cheon Hwa and Sima Geon, throwing her arms out wide and yelling at the top of her lungs.

The looks directed at the sudden intruder varied, but a single thought united everyone watching.

“What kind of ridiculous stunt is that?”

Cheol Woo asked, looking completely baffled.

“Excuse me?”

Ha Hu Yeon looked at Cheol Woo with a confused expression, then looked around to see everyone else staring at her with the same judgment.

“I-I was certain the two of you were about to start a brawl…”

“Even if a fight was starting, is this really the kind of situation you just jump into? Charging in like that, you’d be strangled before you could even take a breath.”

Flustered by Cheol Woo’s criticism, Ha Hu Yeon awkwardly lowered her arms.

Dang Cheon Hwa gave Ha Hu Yeon a kind smile as she bowed her head in shame and started to step back.

“At least she possesses some spirit, much like a true warrior.”

He genuinely respected her reckless display of courage—throwing herself into the line of fire solely to prevent a conflict, without giving a single thought to her own life.

Ha Hu Yeon’s embarrassed retreat came to a sudden halt.

She hadn’t hit a solid wall or a wooden pillar; she had bumped into something thick and furry. She took a look behind her.

“Agh!”

She jumped back as if she had been launched by a spring, reacting purely on instinct.

“W-what on earth is that?”

Ha Hu Yeon, now standing several yards away, pointed and shouted at the creature that had terrified her: Black Wolf.

“Why are you making such a fuss? This is just Black Wolf.”

Noe Jeon let out a small laugh, reaching out to pat Black Wolf on the head.

“Black… Wolf? Oh, *that* Black Wolf!”

Ha Hu Yeon remembered Cheol Woo mentioning a wolf by that name in the past. She also recalled that Sima Geon had once entered the Hahu Clan’s martial tournament using the name Black Wolf as a pseudonym.

“So this is actually him.”

“That’s right, this is Black Wolf.”

“I never thought I’d actually see him standing right in front of me.”

Ha Hu Yeon spoke with a thin, polite smile, though she continued to move her body further away from the beast.

“But why is Black Wolf here? I thought he was left behind at the Divine Demon Division.”

“Little So visited a short while ago. She brought a heavy piece of luggage with her.”

Noe Jeon decided to poke fun at Cheol Woo’s choice of words.

“Calling your teammate a piece of luggage! I’m definitely telling Big Sis So the moment she wakes up.”

“Pah! Go ahead and tell her.”

Cheol Woo snorted and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

While Cheol Woo and Noe Jeon continued their bickering, Sima Geon, looking contemplative, addressed Dang Cheon Hwa.

“Elder.”

Dang Cheon Hwa shifted his attention toward him.

“I apologize for the sudden request, but could I ask a significant favor of you?”

Sima Geon’s voice was perfectly respectful and humble.

As Sima Geon inclined his head, Dang Cheon Hwa’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He hadn’t let it show on his face, but from the second he had stood before Sima Geon, every nerve in his body had been on high alert.

The sheer intensity he felt right now was something he hadn’t experienced since his duel with the Sword Emperor four decades ago…

‘It might even be more intense than that.’

He was incredibly curious to know what a man of this caliber, who might even exceed the Sword Emperor, wanted from him.

“Let’s hear what it is. You may speak.”

Dang Cheon Hwa gave a firm nod.

“What a fascinating thing.”

Those were the words that left Dang Cheon Hwa’s mouth the moment he saw So Surin resting on the bed after seeing Black Wolf.

Cheol Woo had previously referred to So Surin as luggage, but hearing Dang Cheon Hwa call her a “thing” made his face tighten with irritation. Noticing the reaction, Dang Cheon Hwa gave a mocking grunt.

“Are you feeling insulted?”

“I don’t believe referring to a human being as a ‘thing’ is appropriate.”

“Does she honestly look like a human being to you right now?”

“If she isn’t a person, then what do you see?”

“A freak of nature. Someone who cannot truly live, yet cannot die.”

“Then…”

Cheol Woo started to snap back but fell silent when he saw Sima Geon’s sharp, warning look. Upon reflecting on the situation, he realized the old man wasn’t entirely wrong.

“But are you people alright? That creature… yes, the poisonous aura radiating from her physical form is no trivial matter.”

“We are capable of managing it.”

Dang Cheon Hwa looked away, appearing as though he regretted even asking. Sima Geon’s blunt answer made him scowl.

“Move aside, let me examine her.”

Rather than asking for permission, he simply stated his intention and began to inspect So Surin.

He monitored her pulse with the precision of a doctor, channeled his own energy into her system, checked her eyes, forced her mouth open to study her tongue, and even massaged her limbs.

The final straw for the observers was when he drew a sample of blood from her nearly invulnerable skin and tasted it directly. Cheol Woo’s face twisted in disgust as if he’d swallowed something foul, watching Dang Cheon Hwa savor the blood on his tongue as if it were a rare vintage of wine.

After a long duration of testing every possible variable, Dang Cheon Hwa wore a heavy frown and asked,

“Who in the world did this to her?”

“The culprits were from the Myriad Poison Valley.”

“I should have known! Only those lunatics would perform such grotesque experiments with toxins.”

Their groups followed different philosophies, and they rarely had open conflicts. However, much like the Sacheon Tang Clan had built their legacy on the study of poisons, the Myriad Poison Valley had done the same—so they were intimately familiar with each other’s work.

“They employed the Immortal Myriad Poison Spirit Control Technique.”

“I have heard tales of it. A twisted ritual designed to manufacture a monster known as the Poison Blood Demon or something of that sort.”

“Is there a way to save her?”

Sima Geon asked with deep sincerity.

Sima Geon’s obvious devotion to his comrade was moving, but the old man had only one honest reply.

“I do not know.”

As both Sima Geon and Cheol Woo felt their hopes sink, Dang Cheon Hwa let out a dry, mirthless laugh.

“You’re both fools. This represents the absolute peak of what poison masters have been researching for many lifetimes. Can you imagine the sheer amount of time, wealth, blood, and suffering that went into perfecting this? I am well aware it is a subhuman atrocity that should never have been attempted. However, I cannot simply ignore the level of obsession required to reach this stage of development.”

Cheol Woo made no effort to hide his frustration at what sounded like a series of excuses from Dang Cheon Hwa.

“Boss, let’s just go with our first choice and visit the Living Immortal Medical House. If anyone can provide a cure, they are our best chance.”

Dang Cheon Hwa’s eyes gleamed with intensity at the mention of the Living Immortal Medical House.

“You were seriously considering going to them instead of seeking out our clan?”

“They are considered the masters of the healing arts.”

Cheol Woo muttered in response.

If the Living Immortal Medical House failed, their next stop would have been the Sacheon Tang Clan. Their return to the Hahu Clan was partly to check on Sima Hyeon and Sima Ho, but primarily to use them as a link to the Tang Clan.

“What a load of rubbish! For basic wounds or common ailments, they might suffice, but when dealing with the intricacies of poison, they aren’t even worthy of being in our shadow.”

“But you just said you couldn’t help her either.”

“I never claimed I couldn’t. I said I wasn’t sure.”

“So, can you actually heal her?”

“Hey! Are you losing your hearing? I told you, I don’t know yet!”

Dang Cheon Hwa’s voice rose in anger, and Cheol Woo immediately pushed back.

“Stop giving us these vague answers and just be direct: can you do it or not?”

“I’m not being vague—I’m saying I won’t have an answer until I actually try to fix it. I have never encountered a victim of the Immortal Myriad Poison Spirit Control Technique in person. How could I possibly promise you a specific outcome?”

As Cheol Woo prepared to argue further, Sima Geon reached out and physically covered his mouth.

“Will you give us your assistance?”

Dang Cheon Hwa looked at Sima Geon’s expression and let out a smirk.

“If I had no intention of helping, I wouldn’t have bothered talking this much. To be honest, as a student of poison, when will I ever get another opportunity like this? Besides, you have a history with the Sword Freak, and our clan is indebted to you.”

“I’m sorry? Indebted?”

Sima Geon tilted his head in confusion; as far as he knew, he had no history with the Sacheon Tang Clan.

“Are you familiar with the Demon Buddha Temple?”

“I am.”

“We share a long and bitter history with them. They put us through a living hell at one point. We only survived with the assistance of the Hahu Clan, but we’ve always been waiting for a chance to settle the score. Then, a few years ago, word reached me that the Demon Buddha Temple was annihilated during the unification of the Heavenly Demon Cult. And today, from that Hahu youngster outside, I discovered that your group were the primary figures who unified the cult. It might not have been your primary goal, but our family is grateful nonetheless.”

Sima Geon returned the smile as he looked at Dang Cheon Hwa.

“Thank you, truly. We are counting on you.”

As Sima Geon bowed his head again, Cheol Woo looked toward the bed and added his own comment.

“The girl lying there actually took down more of those fanatical Demon Buddha monks than any of us.”